DETECTIVES investigating the brutal murder of Widnes pensioner Agnes Hanrahan have refused to rule out DNA testing on Halebank residents in a bid to catch her killer.

Detective Chief Inspector John Chapman says the decision to take DNA samples from people in the area would depend on the progress of forensic investigations on up to 500 items removed from the victim's house.

Responding to questions at a public meeting, DCI Chapman said: 'At this particular moment in time we have maybe in excess of 50 items which are still being examined.

'Let's see what we can recover from the scene first. We would then possibly start - and it has been done in the past - what is called a 'screening' of DNA from various people in and around the location.

'That would only be done if you had unidentified DNA at the scene.

'Forensic work is still continuing and it does take time, it is a very meticulous and slow approach that we have to take and you can imagine the number of things we have recovered from there.

'I know for a fact that we have recovered about 500 exhibits up to now and we will look systematically at every single item until we get to the end.'

The meeting was held on Wednesday night at Baguley Avenue Youth Centre, just yards from where the gruesome discovery of 71-year-old Agnes's bloodstained body was made on December 9 last year.

Police heard that many pensioners were 'living like prisoners in their own homes', afraid to go out at night in case the killer struck again.

One woman told DCI Chapman: 'We are frightened to go out of a night time. I used to walk up and down this road at one or two in the morning - but I wouldn't do that now.

'I'm all right because I've got my husband, but it's the people who are on their own who are most nervous.'

Another woman said: 'Pensioners are nervous because people don't know if this person got into the property by following her home.

'I run a local group and I know the majority here are very frightened of what could be out there.'

But DCI Chapman assured the audience that the evidence pointed to the murder being a 'one off' incident.

He said: 'There's nothing that suggests to me that Agnes was out and was followed back to her house.

'It all points to someone she knew and she was quite comfortable to have them in the house. I am telling you this to reassure you.'